She was launched as Albertville for the Compagnie Belge-Maritime du Congo (CBMC), and was renamed Jebba when Elder, Dempster & Co acquired her in 1898.

[5] Albertville had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple expansion engine that was built by Thomas Richardson & Sons of West Hartlepool.

[9] In March 1907, Jebba was steaming from Calabar, Lagos, Gold Coast and Gran Canaria to Plymouth and Liverpool.

[11] In fog on the night of 18 March her crew overshot the Eddystone Lighthouse, and she struck rocks under the cliffs at Bolt Tail.

A few hours earlier, the 12,500 GRT White Star Liner Suevic had run aground on Stag Rock, off Lizard Point, Cornwall, about 54 nautical miles (100 km) west of where Jebba had hit Bolt Tail.

[12] Jebba's Master, Captain JJC Mills, RNR, ordered distress flares to be fired, and had the ship's furnaces extinguished to prevent a boiler explosion.

[6] Jebba flooded soon after the rescue, but most of her mail and cargo was eventually salvaged, and so were such valuable components as could be safely removed.

The General Post Office stamped the words "SALVED FROM SS JEBBA" in purple ink on each surviving item, before forwarding it to its addressee.

On 7 May 1907 a Board of Trade inquiry found Captain Mills at fault for the loss of his ship, and suspended his Master's certificate for six months.